Matt Drudge Takes Issue With Trump Tweet

In this May 5, 2018 photo, President Donald Trump speaks during a roundtable discussion on tax reform at Cleveland Public Auditorium and Conference Center in Cleveland, Ohio. Trump says he will announce... (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)

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Matt Drudge is taking issue with President Trump. Trump tweeted Wednesday morning complaining about the media, citing a recent report that "91% of the Network News about me is negative (Fake)" and wondering whether his administration should continue working with the "corrupt" press: "Take away credentials?" he concluded. In response, Drudge—typically a Trump supporter—tweeted, "I fear the future result of Trump’s crusade on 'fake news' will be licensing of all reporters. [Dems already floated this in the senate pre-Trump.] The mop up on this issue is going to be excruciating..." The tweet was still up as of this story's posting, but the Hill notes that the right-wing news icon typically deletes his tweets shortly after posting them; indeed, his entire Twitter feed consists of just two tweets.

Newsweek reports that Trump's tweet was referencing a study from the conservative Media Research Center finding that 90% of "evaluative" statements about Trump made on nightly newscasts from ABC, CBS, and NBC were negative. The Raw Story reports that Trump supporters were lashing out at Drudge on Twitter, with many claiming the media would have only itself to blame if Trump's idea comes to fruition. Meanwhile, the Hill reports the White House Correspondents' Association was not happy about Trump's tweet: "Just because the president does not like news coverage does not make it fake," said the group's president in a statement. "A president preventing a free and independent press from covering the workings of our republic would be an unconscionable assault on the First Amendment." (Read more Matt Drudge stories.)